The issue that I am passionate talking about isn’t really something that is easy to solve, however, what I want to do is to shed light or send a message towards this issue. Racism towards Asians and Asian-Americans have been more prevalent today because of the pandemic, and small businesses/restaurants have suffered from it so much. Seeing videos online of Asian people getting harassed or threatened by random strangers on was so painful to watch because these people have nothing to do at all with the coronavirus and they have been targeted just because they look East Asian. It even feels more painful because I’ve experienced something similar to it myself.
And so, a way for me to express my frustrations and anger towards these ignorant people is by spreading kindness and helping small businesses, particularly Asian restaurants around the Chinatown-International District. I also want to use my creative skills in design to spread my message of kindness, support, togetherness especially during these times. There’s a local artist named Monyee Chau that has made some amazing posters/designs about combatting anti-Asian racism and it has inspired me as a graphic designer to use my skills as a tool to make my voice, and lots of other people’s voices, be heard. I’ve also been a part of an organization in the Chinatown-International District that helps in supporting the community and also provides safety. I’ve made some posters for them in the past where they encourage more people to volunteer and also promote events that contribute to the community.
It may seem like what I’m doing is quite small, but to me, it’s more important that the message that I want to send out has at least affected someone.